Payless, the affordably priced shoe company, revealed an advertising campaign Wednesday that attempted to show the quality of its shoes by fooling fashion-savvy influencers at a fake posh store in Los Angeles.

The company took over a former Armani store and renamed it "Palessi." The fake store held a grand opening and invited social media fashion influencers to walk on a red carpet. Once inside, champagne was served, according to Palessi's Instagram profile.

Unbeknownst to the partygoers, the brightly lit store was stocked with $19.99 pumps and $39.99 boots, AdWeek reported. Some of the guests raved about the shoes and said they'd pay hundreds of dollars for a pair. The top offer was $640, which would be a 1,800 percent markup, the report said.

Payless emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in August 2017, after closing more than 670 stores, USA Today reported. It now has about 2,750 stores in North America and more than 3,500 worldwide, along with an online store, the report said.